The board has gotten some pushback for delaying the search including from principals, who said last month that they’re concerned about transparency in the process.

“When Dr. Johnson-Tramell was removed from her position as superintendent, the community was told that the Board would engage in an extensive, nationwide search for our next leader,” reads an April letter to Saddler and the school board signed by more than 60 of the roughly 80 OUSD principals. “We have not been updated as to the state of the permanent superintendent search.”

The administrators said they were told there would be an engagement process, and that the firm selected to lead the search would present candidates in January and February of this year, before a finalist was selected by April.

“Where were the opportunities for stakeholder input? In what ways were school leaders consulted … and, if the search has been suspended, where is the transparent communication regarding this?” the letter continued.

Alameda County Superintendent Alysse Castro also warned the district last month that without permanent employees in multiple key roles, it was “increasing risk given the urgency and complexity of current fiscal decisions.”

The Oakland Unified School District Board listens to public comment during a meeting at La Escuelita Elementary School in Oakland, California, on Dec. 11, 2024. (Juliana Yamada/KQED)

In the fall, OUSD’s top financial officer, Lisa Grant-Dawson, abruptly resigned after Saddler apparently undermined her team’s budget planning. OUSD’s chief of staff was also terminated.

Saddler has since brought on consultants from the same firm hired to conduct the superintendent search to help develop the 2026-2027 budget. Initially, the district hired Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates through May, for a price of $415,000, but last month extended their contract through the end of the year, adding another $450,000 to its total price tag.

Brouhard told KQED in April that the district never planned to hire a new chief business officer to replace Grant-Dawson, but will instead transition those responsibilities to a chief financial officer.

Saddler, a veteran Bay Area educator, has worn many hats during her decades at Oakland Unified School District — from teaching to leading as a principal to working as an area superintendent in the district’s central office. She also served as the president of the Oakland Education Association, the district’s teachers union, for six years.